Rohit Sharma Challenges ICC: Questions Double Standards in Pitch Rating, Urges Impartial Evaluation Regardless of Country

Indian captain Rohit Sharma appeared disappointed with the pitch at Centurion after the second Test match against South Africa, which ended in a draw. He mentioned that the Centurion pitch is not ideal for Test matches and expressed a preference for turning tracks in India.

Rohit Sharma stated, “The Centurion pitch is not ideal for Test matches. Until someone complains about pitches in India, I don’t think we should be complaining about pitches outside. The World Test Championship final was played on a pitch that had something for the bowlers. We have to be ready to play on any pitch; we can’t complain.”

He further added, “We have been complaining about pitches for years. I felt this was the kind of pitch where one good batter could have made a difference. It was a bit slow, and the bowlers had to work hard for wickets. But no complaints. It’s the nature of the game, and we’ve got to accept it.”

Rohit Sharma emphasized that while the Centurion pitch posed its challenges, India needs to be prepared to play on diverse surfaces and shouldn’t complain about pitches abroad unless Indian pitches are criticized. This comes after India clinched victory in the Cape Town Test, leveling the series 1-1.

Rohit Sharma expressed his dissatisfaction with the pitch for the World Test Championship final and suggested that such pitches should be rated. He stated that the pitch rating should be based on a scale, and there should be a neutral match referee to judge the pitch objectively.

Rohit mentioned, “I request the match referee to rate the pitch on a scale, and there should be a judge for the pitch on that scale. It shouldn’t be like in India, where you talk about dust on the first day, but here (at Centurion), it was a turner.”

He further said, “It’s not like I readily accept playing on such pitches (like Centurion). If you play Test cricket anywhere, you should accept that challenge. When we play on these pitches, we should play and accept the challenge. It happens in India as well, but people don’t pay much attention to it.”

Rohit Sharma emphasized that there should be a standardized rating system for pitches, irrespective of the country, and he does not readily accept the challenges posed by such pitches.

The Centurion Test match concluded in 107 overs. The bowlers received assistance from the pitch right from the first day. Batsmen faced a challenging task to score runs, and bowlers took advantage, with a total of 32 wickets falling rapidly. The match saw one player scoring runs when many others struggled, and notable bowlers like Ravindra Jadeja and Keshav Maharaj faced tough competition in terms of bowling.

Rohit Sharma expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance after winning the second Test and stated that they made a great comeback. He praised the bowlers, including Siraj, Bumrah, Mukes, and Prasidh, for their excellent bowling in the second Test. Rohit mentioned that a bit of planning was involved, and he credited the bowlers for executing it well, leading to India gaining control of the match. He highlighted the significant improvement in batting, with the team managing to take a lead of almost 100 runs after the recent collapse in the first innings. Overall, Rohit Sharma acknowledged the team’s efforts in making a strong comeback.

South Africa’s head coach Shukri Conrad also criticized the pitch, stating that even he had assessed the pitch as poor. He defended curator Bram Mongin, emphasizing that sometimes even good curators make mistakes or have oversights. Conrad mentioned that learning from such experiences is essential for curators, and Mongin will undoubtedly improve. While Conrad acknowledged that Mongin had requested a good pitch, he found it challenging to prepare one considering the pressure and the circumstances. Overall, he expressed the need for improvement in pitch preparation.